Cassette used for electrophotographic process engine

An optional cassette apparatus, comprising:

• an electrophotographic process engine having a housing formed with oppositely disposed side walls enclosing said process engine, said process engine comprising first transmission means providing a first transmission passage, for transmitting sheets of paper from said first transmission means to said process engine;
• and
• an optional cassette module, positioned beneath said housing with all side surfaces of said optional cassette module being substantially flush with corresponding ones of said side walls, and connected to the electrophotographic process engine in a predetermined installation space, said optional cassette module comprising a paper cassette slot for receiving a first paper cassette retaining a plurality of sheets of paper lying within a stack with an outermost one of the sheets of paper forming a plane substantially perpendicular to said first transmission passage, said optional cassette module receiving the first paper cassette wholly within said optional cassette module, and comprising a transmission unit, said transmission unit providing a second transmission passage and comprising:
• means for connecting the transmission unit to said optional cassette module and for enabling said second transmission passage of said transmission unit to be pivotally rotated away from and into alignment with said first transmission passage, and enabling said second passage of second transmission means while aligned with the first transmission means for transmitting said one of the plurality of sheets of paper from only a paper cassette installed in said paper cassette slot through the second transmission means to the first transmission means with outer vertical surfaces of said transmission unit lying substantially flush with adjacent ones of said side walls and said side surfaces while said second passage is aligned with the first transmission means.

An optional cassette module used in an electrophotographic process engine comprising a first transmission passage conducting paper to the process engine and a first housing formed by spaced-apart side walls and a bottom enclosing the process engine and the first passage, said first housing having a first slot enabling a first paper cassette to be received within said first housing, said first transmission passage formed perpendicular to a plane of papers loaded in said first paper cassette, said optional cassette module comprising:

• a second housing having a second slot enabling a second paper cassette to be wholly received within said second housing, said second housing occupying space extending from the bottom of the electrophotographic process engine and forming surfaces substantially flush with each of said side walls of the first housing of the electrophotographic process engine;
• pick up roller means positioned at a predetermined distance from said second slot and in an upper part of said optional cassette module, for picking up an uppermost paper of the papers loaded in said second paper cassette;
• and
• transmission means pivotally connected to said second housing by a hinge located below the first paper cassette and providing a second transmission passage facing and aligned with said first transmission passage, said second transmission passage formed perpendicular to a plane of papers loaded in said second cassette for transmission of paper, said transmission means being positioned adjacent to both the electrophotographic process engine and the optional cassette module and occupying space extending from said bottom of the first housing of the electrophotographic process engine and having outer-most vertical sides lying flush with said surfaces of said second housing and said side walls of the electrophotographic process engine, for transmitting said paper received via said pick up roller means from only the second paper cassette and through said second transmission passage to said first passage to the electrophotographic process engine, said transmission means comprising a transmission roller installed in said second transmission passage, for transmitting the picked-up paper to said electrophotographic process engine.